Trace-lock



.(No Model.)

G. T. ALPRESS.

TRACE LOCK.

No. 487,463. Patented Dec. 6, 1892.

NITED STATES GEORGE T. ALPRESS, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT.

TRACE- LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,463, dated December6, 1892.

Application filed April 11, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE T. ALPRESS, of Bristol, in the county ofHartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inHitch-Locks; andIdo hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with accompanying drawings and theletters of reference markedthereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, andwhich said drawings constitute part of this specification, andrepresent, in-

Figure 1, a broken perspective view showing the application of myinvention as a trace hitch-lock; Fig. 2, a detached sectional view ofthe device shown in the preceding figure; Fig. 3, a detached sectionalview showing the use of a threaded bushing in the construction shown byFig. 2.

My invention relates to an improvementin hitch-locks, and isparticularly designed for use on harnesses, but may be employed invarious other situations, the object being to produce a simple, cheap,convenient, efiective, and durable device of ornamental appearance.

With these ends in View my invention consists in the combination, with ahitch member, such as a trace, of a hitch-lock composed of twoperforated friction-plates and a couplingscrew passingt-hrough theperforations of said plates and through the eye of the trace and screwedinto one of the plates for coupling them under friction upon theopposite face of the trace, whereby the said lock is adj ustable on thetrace within the limits of the eye thereof.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction andcombinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed outin the claims As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the device consists oftwo corresponding centrallyperforated disks A A, made of sole-leatherand having roughened beveled edges anda coupling-screw B, which ispassed first through the outer disk A and then into the inner disk A,the perforation of which is threaded to receive it, the said screw beingwhat is known as a machine-screw. These disks are respectively appliedto the opposite faces of the trace 0, which is constructed with theordinary eye O', through which the couplingvice.

.tween them.

Serial No. 428.599. (N0 model.)

screw B aforesaid passes. Under this construction the device is movableback and forth in the eye C of the trace, the screw beingadjusted sothat the friction developed between the inner faces of the disk and theopposite faces of the trace will hold the device in place, except as itmay be manually pushed back and forth.

In using the device the trace is hooked over the button D of thewhiftletree E in the usual manner, after which the device is pushedrearwardly up against the inner edge of the button. No .matter now howmuch the trace maybe slacked the device will prevent it from accidentaldisengagement from the button. I have spoken of the disks as beingformed of heavy sole-leather; but metal or any other suitable materialmay be employed in place of it if desired. Instead of employing a simplemachine-screw having a slotted head, as herein shown, I may employ athumb-screw; but I prefer such a screw as shown. By prefer-. ence, also,I employ leather disks on account of their correspondence with leathertraces and because they are well adapted to take hold of the same in theproduction of the friction required for the operation of the de- I havefound that by roughening the beveled edges of the outer-disk the samemay be turned by the fingers for adjusting the device, as the screw willturn with the disk in either direction on accountof the friction be- Ifpreferred, I may employ an internally-threaded bushing F in the innerdisk or plate in place of threading the same to receive the inner end ofthe adjustingscrew, such a bushing being shown in Fig. 3 of thedrawings.

A bushing as employed not only increases the durability of the devicewhen the disks or plates are made of rubber, leather, or other softmaterial, but also affords an economical construction where a longengagement is Wanted for the screw, for the reason that a longbushing-such as shown in the said figures of the drawingsaffords thesame hearing for the screw that a thick disk or plate would.

The foregoing description, together with the accompanying drawings, willenable any one skilled in the artto make other applications of myinvention, whether to harnesses or elsewhere, and I would therefore haveit understood that I do not limit myself to the specific use nor to theexact construction herein shown and described, but hold myself atliberty to make such changes and alterations therein as fairly fallwithin the spirit and scope of my invention.

I-Iaving fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a hitch member, such as a trace, of ahitch-lock composed of two perforated friction-plates and acouplingscrew passing through the perforations of said plates andthrough the eye of the trace and screwed into one of the plates forclamping them under friction upon the opposite faces of the trace,substantially as set forth, and whereby the said lock is adjustable onthe trace within the limits of its eye.

2. The combination, with a hitch member, such as a trace, of ahitch-lock composed of two perforated friction-plates, aninternallythreaded bushing inserted into the perforation of one of them,and acoupling-screw en- GEORGE '1. ALPRESS.

Witnesses:

EDWARD W .IDIERRIMAN, SAMUEL J. COAD.

